Democrats like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have been trying to make the case that raises and bonuses announced by employers like Walmart, AT&T and Fifth Third Bank amount to crumbs and are a scam.

“Pretty obnoxious the GOP thinks workers should be weak-kneed with gratitude for corporations giving them pennies while pocketing a multi-billion dollar tax break stolen from the future of the middle class,” Pelosi tweeted Friday.

Their premise is that companies are giving out bonuses and raises simply to make people feel good about that fact that the corporate tax rate was reduced from 35 percent to 21 percent, hugely benefiting the companies.

But there’s an alternative theory that holds much more promise than a one-time bonus for workers.

Good employees are becoming increasingly hard to find. The unemployment rate has been steadily falling, from 8 percent in January 2013 to 4.1 percent today.

Employers in Southwest Florida are familiar with the difficulty in finding workers.

At a conference in Bonita Springs last week, economist Elliot Eisenberg told real estate professionals, “You’re out of people (to hire). You’ll have real problems in ’19 and ’20 because there will be no one to hire.”

Arthrex chose to build a new plant in South Carolina rather than in Collier County because of the availability of trained workers there as opposed to here.

Look around town and you’ll see “We’re hiring” and “Help wanted” signs at business after business.

To get the employees they need, business must pay more.

It doesn’t mean they’re being nice. It isn’t a PR gimmick. It’s a fact of economics.

The law of supply and demand is as immutable as the law of gravity.

When something becomes scarce, such as labor, the price goes up.

Couple the corporate tax cut with a reduction in the individual tax rate and the repatriation of billions of dollars companies had been holding overseas due to the higher taxes in the U.S., and a practical person would see opportunities to expand on the horizon. They’d realize that demand for labor is going to increase and adjust pay accordingly.

The effect of supply and demand on wages can make minimum wage laws unnecessary, as the value of labor increases on its own.

A market-based increase in the cost of something is better than a government-imposed one. Imagine if the government decreed that loaf of bread that normally costs $3 is now $10. People would buy less bread. So too the cost of labor. When the government artificially raises the price, employers “buy” less of it.

Immigration, another issue of keen interest in Southwest Florida, has a role to play as well.

Unlimited immigration coupled with lax enforcement of laws against hiring people unauthorized to work in the U.S. provides a release valve of sorts for employers. Wages won’t increase if the supply of labor is endless.

Because the demand for labor is growing, immigration hardliners’ calls to close off immigration and “deport everyone” are unrealistic.

A rational policy based primarily on skills and willingness to work will be required to find an equilibrium of jobs and workers to fill them.

Politicians may be perfectly nice people.

They may also be calculating and shrewd, always looking to gain some positive PR.

Above either, they need to be practical to strike the right balance on taxes and immigration to ensure that economic benefits flowing to millions of Americans aren’t just a gimmick.